Samantha felt lonely for the last two weeks. Raymond came back to Los Angeles a few days ago, but since Purple Rain worked on their third album, he had to stay in the city of Angels.
And Sam couldn't leave Rose. Although Rose seemed like herself, most of the time, the worst appeared the night Sam came back to New York. Samantha had to consider moving to New York permanently. That would mean Ray and she would probably break up. Maybe it seemed naïve to believe they will end up together.
The pair talked every day on the phone. And Sam missed Ray, she wanted to be with him. So she felt stuck between what she wanted and what she had to do. Her parents were leaving for Italy, so the evening before their trip, they planned a family dinner at Rose's home. Samantha rarely saw her sister since Alyssa was finishing her school year. So Sam felt excited that Alyssa will stay with her for a few days.
Sam had been writing her journal like a crazy lady, at this point, it seemed more like a diary. It remained mostly about Ray, the way she felt about him. Reading her own thoughts sometimes helped to make the relationship more real. And gave her hope that they will make it. She often wrote about Scott, as well. It seemed like preparation for what she would say to him when she saw him.
Samantha was talking to Ray, hearing a commotion downstairs. She finished her video chat, knowing her parents arrived. She left her room and bumped into Alyssa in the corridor.
"Which room is mine?" Alyssa asked. She held a small bag in her right hand.
Samantha realized Alyssa matured in the last few months. She had blond strands in her otherwise black, ratty hair, and added bangs to mask her tall forehead. Her full lips shined in the light and had a slight pink color. Even her face shape seemed different, her cheeks looked more exposed, and her nose seemed bigger. Her figure looked fuller, more feminine.
"Take whichever you want," Sam said and pointed to the rooms at the back of the hall.
"It's your house," Alyssa said, shifting her weight on her right hip.
"It's still Grandma's house," Sam pointed out, smirking. "Take the one at the end of the corridor. That one has a separate bathroom," she added.
"Great," Alyssa said, and strolled down the corridor, swaying her bag to the sides.
Sam went downstairs, hearing laughter coming from the living room. The foyer remained empty. She passed the hall and moved toward the room when the doorbell rang.
"I will get it," Sam shouted, the laughter and chatter continued, forcing Sam to shake her head.
Usually Amber greeted the guests, but since Sam held near the entrance, she went to open the door, and a big part of her felt sure everyone failed to notice the doorbell anyway. He stood on the porch, a bouquet of red roses in his left hand, and a bottle of wine in the right one.
His green eyes seemed glossy. "Hi," he said, clearing his throat with a silent cough. "Your mom invited me," he explained.
"That is such a surprise," Sam said in a mocking tone. Tom chuckled at her words, revealing the dimples in his cheeks.
Samantha opened the door wider, letting Tom inside. He hugged her and roses brushed against the loose hair on her back. The hug remained brief since Sam took a step back. He put flowers and wine on the table, which stood near the door. Tom bent to take his shoes off and for a moment, Sam's eyes shifted to his ass, but she quickly raised her eyesight to the wall in front of her.
"Everyone is in the living room," Sam said, stepping toward the appointed place. Tom nodded and followed her into the room, carrying his tributes.
"Tom, my darling," Jen screeched. She passed Sam and extended her hands toward Tom. "Samantha." She nodded at Sam and hugged Tom, taking wine from him. "This is a brilliant choice," she reported, looking at the label of the bottle.
"It's great to see you, Jen," Tom said. Jennifer smiled at him. "You look terrific as usual." He laughed. "Richard," Tom said, moving toward Sam's dad, stretching out his palm. "Long time, no see." Men shook their hands. Tom placed flowers at the top of the bar.
"It's been a while, Tom," Richard agreed and bent his head.
Sam still stood near the entrance to the living room, Richard held near the dining table, close to the bar, and Tom stayed beside him. Jen came closer to Sam, intertwining their elbows.
"He looks great, right?" Jennifer asked, leaning closer and whispering in Sam's ear as the men continued discussing something.
Samantha didn't respond to her. What could she say? Tom looked good. His black jeans and black shirt duo made him seem elegant. Sam felt unprepared for guests it was supposed to be the family dinner. So her attire was black yoga pants and a Metallica T-shirt. Sam glanced at her mother.
Jennifer had dressed more appropriately, looking like this was some kind of fancy event. Her hair was styled and her makeup sharper than usual. Her blue shirt was stuffed into a black pencil skirt, revealing her thin figure. The women moved toward the men as Richard poured whiskey into two glasses.
Richard scanned his daughter. "Sweetheart, did you forget we are coming?" he asked, narrowing his blue eyes.
Richard wore his gray suit with a white shirt and a tie. Sam assumed he was just after work since this remained his work suit. Her father's brown beard shaped sharply, complimenting his angled chin. Samantha noticed that his hazel hair held a silvery tone, just above his ears.
"No, Dad," Sam said and glimpsed at Tom. "I thought this was a family dinner," she added.
"And it is," Jennifer said, going behind the bar and holding a wine bottle in her hand.
"So, there is no problem then," Sam explained, shrugging her shoulders. Tom bent his head down, laughing at her statement.
The look on Richard's face showed clear dissatisfaction, but Sam ignored it. Amber and Alyssa appeared in the doorway, carrying the food on the table. Rose walked close behind them.
The tension dialed down after everyone settled down, picking up food and drinks. Richard and Tom continued drinking whiskey, and Jen and Rose stayed sipping on wine. After finishing her meal, Sam went behind the bar, searching for rum. She made a cocktail, rum, and cola, as usual. She crawled back to her seat when the small talk felt over.
"So, Samantha," Richard said, loosening his deep blue tie. "How was your trip?" he asked. Tom's green eyes narrowed, staring at Sam.
Sam felt blood rushing to her cheeks because, one by one, everyone looked at her. "Good," she replied, sipping her cocktail.
"Did you discover yourself?" Richard asked with a smirk.
"Not yet, Dad," Sam replied and took another sip.
"Your office is ready, you know," Richard said, gulping whiskey as the ice cubes chimed in his glass. "You can discover yourself while working," he added.
Right on time, with a job conversation. "I don't want to work at publishing," Sam said, putting a straw between her lips. The familiar taste tingled her tongue, relaxing her body.
"You are wasting your degree, sweetheart," Richard explained, raising his deep voice.
"Perhaps I am. But I'm not like you, Dad. Business stuff is not for me," Sam reminded him.
"So what are you going to do then?" Richard asked, waving his hand in the air.
"I'm drafting a book," Sam admitted. She noticed a slight smile on her grandmother's lips. "I don't know what I'm going to do with it, but I like the process," she added.
"Fine," Richard scoffed. "But, you will not publish at Miller and Sons," he warned her, shaking his index finger.
"I'm not prepared to be published at all," Sam clarified and sat back in the chair, everyone else talked among themselves by now. "And if I do in the future, I will try my luck, like everyone else," she added. I have to just keep my mouth shut about the book.
Samantha wasn't planning to tell anyone about her book, her short stories, which she wrote while traveling, turned into a bigger project than she expected. She knew Rose would support her, no matter what she would do. But her parents wanted something grand for her life, they wished she would carry Morris' last name with pride and make it even more known than it was.
"You are Morris, so you don't need to do that," Jen intervened. Richard nodded his head in agreement.
"Everything is hypothetical since I'm not ready to share my work," Sam reminded them and sipped her drink.
"Just give me the first drafts, and I will see what I can do," Richard said, finishing his drink.
Sometimes I forget no one listens to me in this family. "When it's ready, maybe I will," Sam explained with a sigh. I definitely won't do that.
Sam felt glad since soon the conversation shifted from her to other topics. Shortly after, Rose left the table to get some rest. Alyssa seemed bored, spending most of her time on the phone. She too soon went up to her room. Jennifer finished the wine and giggled while chatting with Tom. Richard finished drinking coffee, glaring at Jen.
"It's late. We should go home, honey," Richard declared and caressed his wife's hand.
"Yes, Richard. Italy awaits," Jennifer responded, clapping her hands.
The three of them left, saying formal goodbyes to Sam. She locked the door and checked on Rose, she remained asleep. Last week, the security team installed a few cameras in the common areas of the house. That was Rose's doctor's suggestion since there will be a time when Rose could wander off. So Samantha took extra precautions early on. After checking the order in the house, including cameras. Sam made herself another cocktail, taking it to the backyard.
The weather felt damped, perhaps from the rain that morning or the pool in front of her. She lifted her pants, exposing her shins, and sat down, soaking her feet in the water. Digesting events of that evening.
The main reason Sam didn't want to share her book with her father was that her parents were not aware of anything to do with Scott. It seemed easy to ignore everything while she traveled. She felt busy and, with her current free time, Sam, unfortunately, decided to do a bit of research. She wanted to understand Scott, to know why he picked her and in what way she should cut contact with him.
Since Sam lost contact with Paul, she realized she will have to make changes in her life. It felt easy to maintain occasional contact with Scott since she stayed in New York. But she knew ignorance won't solve anything. Therefore, she watched true crime documentaries about stalkers to know more.
It wasn't easy, and she felt lucky that her situation seemed much better than so many people who suffered much more than her. And her book was about a detective involving stalkers. Sam believed everyone expected her to carry on with her grandfather's books. And in the way, her book appeared similar, but she wasn't ready to share it with the world.
Sam swung her legs in the water. Her hand felt slightly numbed from the ice in the cocktail. As usual, she stayed in her head, so her hearing wasn't sharp at that time.
"I had a feeling. I will find you here." His firm tone made her slightly jump.
Sam's eyesight remained on the light blue water in the pool as her heartbeats raced. "I had a feeling you will be back," she replied and gulped her drink.
He took off his shoes and socks. Following Sam's example, he lifted his pants, sitting down beside her. Moving water seemed white as he swirled his feet back and forth.
"You know me well, babe," Tom said and glanced at her. He leaned back, his hands behind his spine, supporting his weight.
"Yeah, that, and also your car is still in the driveway," Sam explained and smirked. She felt a slight shiver as Tom's hand brushed against hers.
"I was gathering my courage," Tom said, and Sam finally looked at him. His eyes stayed on her the entire time. "We should talk," he added.
Sam sipped her cocktail. "We talked about everything already," she said.
"Small talk doesn't count, babe," Tom said, placing his palm on her bare knee. Her eyes flinched from his actions. "I'm so happy you are back. I felt slightly disappointed that you didn't call me after your trip," he continued.
"I had other things on my mind. Could you remove your hand from my leg?" she asked and looked at his hand. His glance went down, but he obeyed her request. "Also, stop calling me babe at this point, it's inappropriate. Why did you come here tonight?" Sam urged.
"Your mom invited me, I told you," he explained with a chuckle. "You are joking, right? It's far from inappropriate," Tom added.
Sam shook her head. "No, I'm really not," she said, squinting her eyes. "You remember that I have a boyfriend?" Sam asked.
His green eyes widened. "But, you are back—alone," he explained.
Sam bent her head a few times. "Oh, so you thought since I arrived alone, that meant Ray and I broke up," she responded.
"Ray?" Tom asked and raised his eyebrow.
"Shit," she murmured under her nose. "Yeah, well, now you know his name, good for you," she added, and gulped the drink, rolling her eyes.
"So what? Is he back in Los Angeles? And you are here," Tom asked with a scoff.
"At the moment, yes," she said, studying whirlpools at the pool.
"You are doing the long-distance thing with him?" he asked, staring at her.
"Yes, for now," she replied with a sigh.
"Why?" Tom asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Because Rose needs me. And Ray has some work, but we will try to figure everything out," Sam replied, glancing at him. "We shouldn't talk about this," she added and shook her head.
"Why? We are still friends," Tom said.
"Are we, though?" Sam asked, bending her head. "Can you be just my friend?"
"Well, no," he replied and shrugged.
"So, why are you saying we are friends, then?" Sam asked and lifted her feet from the pool.
He stretched out his arm toward her, but Samantha avoided contact with him. "I just want you in my life, Sam," he said in a slumber tone.
Sam stood up and placed the empty glass on a small table, taking a towel from the chair nearby. "They forced us to be in each other's lives anyway, but you have to be civil," she said, wiping her feet with a towel.
"I am very civil, Sam. But it's hard for me, knowing you are not mine anymore," he pleaded and lifted his feet from the pool. Walking toward her until he stopped, standing in front of Sam.
"Then you should not come here. I'm not property, Tom!" she shouted. Her throat felt itchy from the raised tone.
"You know what I meant. I wanted to see you. You didn't even tell me you are back," Tom clarified and put his right hand on her hip. "I missed you," he added.
Samantha glanced at his hand, and he removed his limb quickly. "I don't want to hurt you, Tom," she said and inhaled deeply, looking at his green eyes. "I understand how hard it is for you, don't forget I was in your place once," she continued.
"That is why I'm not giving up on us," Tom said. Sam raised her eyebrow. "I left Sara practically at the altar because I knew you were the only one for me," he explained. Tom grabbed her hand, lifting it and placing his lips on her fingers.
Sam drew her hand back. "This is not the same," she said. Tom's eyes narrowed. "I don't feel the same about you. Ray is not just some fling, Tom," Sam added.
"Don't say that," he said, closing his eyes. "This can't be the end." His pupils diminished when he opened his eyes.
"You knew that already, I told you a month ago," Sam reminded him. Tom stepped closer to her. "I don't want to hurt you, but this is the truth. The sooner you realize this, the sooner you can move on," she added. Tom caressed her cheek with his thumb. "You should go, Tom," Sam added, studying his eyes.
With no more words, he leaned in and placed his lips on hers. Samantha felt his mouth part, and he touched her shut lips with his tongue. She felt nothing, no arousal, and no need to kiss him back. Seconds later, she placed her hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeats held speedily under her palm.
Sam pushed him away, Tom's wet feet slipped against the tiled floor, and he fell into the pool. Water splashed, and the right side of Sam's body got slightly damped. Samantha gasped before he even got into the water. She leaned closer to see where he was. As soon as she witnessed him dive up, she took a step back from the pool.
He laughed while running his finger through his wet black hair. "You should join," Tom said, raising his eyebrow and a devilish smile played on his lips.
"Good night, Tom," Sam said and went inside the house.
She locked the entrance and rolled down the blinder on the glass door. Samantha heard the splashing outside as her heart hurt from the guilt. After a few moments, the door handle stumbled.
"Sam, please open the door. I'm soaked, I need a towel," Tom shouted.
Samantha didn't respond, she stayed still, standing by the door. There remained a towel on the chair outside, and this seemed just another attempt to get close to her. The door remained shut. Sam wasn't afraid anymore to slip up and be seduced by Tom. Now she knew that wouldn't happen again. Her feelings for Raymond held more trust than in the past, which bound Tom and her.